Gamergate's bizarre escalation leads to massacre threats against Anita ...
The UpTake: What started as an alleged liaison between a game developer and a member of the gaming media has bizarrely escalated into widespread, violent threats against other women in gaming.
F eminist vlogger Anita Sarkeesian was supposed to give a talk today at Utah State University about the role of women in the video game industry. But the university's inability to make the speaker feel safe against multiple threats of a massacre, led to the event's cancellation-just the most recent development in a grotesque display by some participants in a phenomenon known as Gamergate.
'To be clear: I didn't cancel my USU talk because of terrorist threats,' Sarkeesian tweeted earlier today. 'I canceled because I didn't feel the security measures were adequate.'
Sarkeesian, who in 2012 crowdfunded $160,000 on Kickstarter for her Tropes vs. Women in Video Games video series, began receiving death threats earlier this year after winning a Game Developers Choice Award, according to a Gamespot report.
But when Sarkeesian received this most recent email threat, with specific and graphic details, the University hosts of today's now-cancelled event, originally decided to for forward as planned. 'Police were already making preparations for security as the speaker had received similar threats in the past,' University representatives wrote. 'Enhanced security measures will now be in place, which include prohibiting backpacks and any large bags.'
But that wasn't good enough for Sarkeesian who tweeted, 'Requested pat downs or metal detectors after mass shooting threat but because of Utah's open carry laws police wouldn't do firearm searches.'
One particular email threat to carry out a ' Montreal Massacre style attack' by someone claiming to have multiple guns and pipe bombs, has been widely quoted from this Standard Examiner report. But Sarkeesian tweeted it was actually 'multiple specific threats' along with the University's inability to provide security the vlogger felt comfortable with that led to the cancellation.
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